Everton captain Seamus Coleman leads heartfelt tribute to ‘legend’ Phil Jagielka

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Everton have been devoid of many, if any legends in recent years, given there has been little to shout about from their perspective.

With no European football since 2018, no trophy won since 1995, and back-to-back relegation dogfights narrowly survived, it has hardly been the most glittering period in the club’s history.

However, that’s not to suggest that a few cult heroes have not been carved.

Seamus Coleman is one such example, who was actually interviewed on the subject of legends not too long ago. Speaking on the BBC’s Nothing Will Be The Same podcast, the 35-year-old noted: ‘Club legend? Not for me.

‘Because in my opinion, you have to have won something at a football club to be a club legend. I’ll be someone that has played three or four hundred games forever but club legend, not in my eyes.’

However, that is a notion he has clearly foregone for Phil Jagielka, who announced his retirement just yesterday.

Earning a plethora of responses from many Everton stars, past and present, Coleman would lead the charge with his comment: ‘All the best skip. Legend’.

Other names such as Richarlison, Gerard Deulofeu, Kevin Mirallas and Tim Howard also gave credit to a sparkling career in which the 41-year-old ace played a big role.

How good was Phil Jagielka?

Although his career was somewhat hampered at times by injury, Jagielka remained an ever-present stalwart for almost all of the clubs he featured for.

However, with 385 appearances, Everton were the standout beneficiary of his talents.

Captaining the club from 2013 onwards until his 2019 departure, the centre-back twice won the club’s Player of the Season award and even won 40 caps for his troubles too.

Many might rush to laud his derby day thunderbolt as the crowning moment of his career on Merseyside, and rightly so, but as journalist Paddy Boyland noted, his peak in 2008/09, where he quelled the immense threat of Fernando Torres on three occasions in quick succession, truly outlined his talents.

Never the most physically or technically gifted, Jagielka was an intelligent leader who gave his all for Everton. He deserves every bit of praise he gets and more.